Protection of Bus Drivers reporting safety concerns on Social Media

Keith Prince: It has come to my attention that Bus Drivers have been disciplined by their TfL Bus Contractor employers for reporting their evidenced safety concerns on social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, etc). Will you issue instructions to TfL’s Bus Contractors that (a) Bus Drivers reporting safety concerns on social media constitutes ‘protected speech’ (b) they are not to discipline any Bus Driver who reports his or her evidenced safety concerns on Social Media?

The Mayor: Everyone should of course be able to raise safety concerns with their employer without fear of consequence. I would encourage drivers to raise such concerns either directly with their operator, through their union representative, or through the CIRAS confidential reporting system. Several operators have their own internal interactive platforms which is also an effective way to share and deal with concerns, and every operator also has a specific process for staff to raise safety matters.